The Contagious Joy Podcast

Show Summary In the Season 2 finale of The Contagious Joy Podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny pull back the curtain on the deeply personal and challenging realities unfolding in their lives. Fresh off celebrating a major milestone—surpassing 1,000 downloads—the duo opens up about why they must hit pause on the show. Kim shares the heartbreaking news of her father, Chuck, entering hospice care, and the im...

Summary In this touching and transparent episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, co-hosts Kim (Speaker A) and Jenny (Speaker B) explore the massive impact of psychological safety in the workplace. They contrast Jenny’s painful experiences with a toxic teaching environment against Kim’s current deeply supportive role, highlighting how a safe environment allows people to bounce back from mistakes and...

Show Summary Joy doesn’t always arrive on the timeline we expect, but when it does, it can be profoundly sweet. In this episode of Contagious Joy , hosts Kim and Jenny sit down with Kim's dear friend Wendy to pull back the curtain on the emotional rollercoaster of reproductive grief, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and infertility. Wendy shares her raw and beautiful story of traveling across the...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Contagious Joy Podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny wrap up their month-long series on family and motherhood as they prepare for contrasting seasonal changes—with Kim heading into summer holidays and Jenny bracing for a rainy Australian winter. The episode centers on the complex, beautiful, and sometimes difficult realities of parenting and family systems. Kim shares...

Show Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy Podcast , hosts Jenny and Kim celebrate a massive milestone—reaching 800 downloads! Before diving into the main celebration, they pull back the curtain on their typical pre-recording technical chaos and dive into a hilarious debate over American versus Australian terminology. From the quick onset of American "hot flashes" to the enduring body-heat...

Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, Jen and Kim dive deep into the multifaceted journey of motherhood . Set against the backdrop of Mother’s Day , the hosts share their personal and often contrasting experiences—from the physical toll of difficult pregnancies to the emotional complexities of family legacies. They discuss the societal expectations placed on women regarding starti...

Show Summary In this episode, the hosts celebrate a major milestone—surpassing 700 downloads—before diving into deeply personal updates. Kim shares the surprising results of her recent blood work, revealing she has moved into the post-menopausal stage of life at age 52. This sparks a broad, heartfelt discussion on the "Remarkable" nature of the female body, ranging from the struggles of infertilit...

Episode Summary In this episode of Contagious Joy , hosts Kim and Jenny interview Lois Pajari , the owner and operator of Cook’s Country Connection . Lois shares the devastating story of the June 2013 fire that destroyed her business, the Cook Dollar Barn, and left eight families homeless. Out of that tragedy, Lois returned to her great-grandparents' 1900 homestead to build a new sanctuary. Now ce...

Episode Summary In this episode, Kim and Jen dive deep into the concept of "joy" as a response to last week’s conversation with Annie. They explore the physical toll of high-stress environments, with Kim sharing her personal battle with vertigo and a familial health crisis that forced her to re-evaluate her priorities. Meanwhile, Jen shares a heartwarming and humorous story about stepping out of h...

Episode Summary In this episode, Annie continues to share her transformative journey from a high-pressure career as a family lawyer to her current role as a health and wellbeing coach. After a life-altering trip to New York that served as a catalyst for change, Annie realized she could no longer sustain the stress and constant deadlines of her legal practice. She discusses the challenges of balanc...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny return from a two-week hiatus to interview Annie, a former family lawyer from Mudgee, New South Wales. Annie shares her powerful journey from living a high-pressure, "unsustainable" life in the legal field to finding a new purpose after a serious health diagnosis. The conversation explores the hidden burdens lawyers...

Are you ready to continue on an international adventure filled with both tomfoolery and fun ? Welcome to the Contagious Joy Podcast , where we dive deep into the art of finding light even in the trickiest of times. Hosted by two friends who have "been through the wringer" when it comes to serious and confronting topics, this show explores how to capture joy in the moments that matter most. In ever...

Episode Summary In this special season finale, Kim and Jenny reflect on their journey through the first 11 episodes of the Contagious Joy Podcast . They celebrate reaching a milestone of 400 listens and take a trip down memory lane, revisiting the heartfelt, heavy, and hilarious moments that defined their first season. From discussing the "biosecurity" of mixed nuts to navigating sibling loss and...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Jenny and Kim explore the intentional practice of "bringing joy" to others. Inspired by the storytelling of folk singer Christine Lavin, Jenny reflects on how a simple conversation can prevent a "moment from slipping away" and shares a touching story about a chance encounter at a grocery store that changed a stranger's week. The...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny explore the intersection of joy and boundaries through the lens of unexpected life events. Kim shares her recent experience serving on a day-and-a-half theft trial, describing the selection process, the internal struggle to remain stoic while being a naturally joyful person, and the small ways she found joy—such as...

Show Summary In this heartfelt episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny dive into the complex dynamics of experiencing joy in the presence of others who may not be ready or able to share it. The conversation explores deeply personal stories of familial betrayal and generational trauma, including a significant incident that changed a relationship. They discuss the concept of "late...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny shift from last week's heavy discussion on toxic positivity to the "age-old debate" of being a cat person versus a dog person. The hosts share heartwarming and humorous stories about their past and current pets, ranging from golden retrievers and "bougie" Bombay cats to a first pet budgerigar. They reflect on the de...

Episode Summary In this episode, hosts Kim and Jenny explore the concept of "toxic positivity" —the dysfunctional promotion of a "good vibes only" mindset that dismisses authentic negative emotions. After recapping a previous conversation with funeral photographer Nell Aburto about finding joy during mourning , the hosts pivot to discuss why forced optimism can be harmful, during hard times. They...

Episode Summary In this moving episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny are joined by their first guest, professional funeral photographer Nell Aburto. Nell shares how the personal regret of not having photos from her own parents' services inspired her to launch a business documenting final goodbyes. The conversation explores the " joy" that persists even in deep mourning, the im...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Contagious Joy podcast, hosts Kim and Jenny celebrate a major milestone: reaching 100 listeners!. They open with lighthearted corrections from previous stories—clarifying the mystery of the "American Tacos" and the creative use of coffee pots in American motels. The conversation turns toward a deeper, more meaningful theme: Finding joy without guilt. . Jenny...

This episode of the Contagious Joy podcast explores the concept of the "heavy room"—those difficult environments where news is bad, tension is high, or personal trauma looms—and how to navigate them while still finding a path back to joy. Episode Summary In this candid conversation, hosts Kim and Jenny discuss their professional backgrounds in education and the specific moments when the weight of...

In this episode of Contagious Joy , co-hosts Kim and Jenny bridge the gap between an Oregon winter and a scorching Australian summer to explore why the most beautiful emotions can often feel the most frightening. Through personal stories—ranging from a hilarious "ice cream rescue" on a busy highway to the profound grief of losing siblings—Kim and Jenny discuss the "dress rehearsal of tragedy" and...

Episode 1: And Here Ya Have It – The Origins of The Contagious Joy Podcast. Welcome to the debut episode of The Contagious Joy Podcast! In this introductory session, hosts Kim (from Oregon, USA) and Jenny (from Sydney, Australia) share the heartwarming and often hilarious story of how two families from opposite ends of the globe became "framily".